If you’re studying for an AP exam right now or are thinking about taking an AP class in the future, you might be wondering: how are AP exams scored? In this post, we'll break down the scoring process, all the way from the raw scores you earn on the multiple-choice section and essays to how you get a final score on a scale of 1-5. Knowing how AP exams are scored can help you do your best on them—especially if you want a perfect 5! Each AP test is given a score from 1 to 5. According to the College Board (the group that administers AP tests), these numbers translate in the following ways: Any score that's 3 or higher is considered a passing score, though some colleges only accept 4s and 5s for credit. (See AP’s college database for specific policies at each university.) Getting a 5 is especially desirable because, for most exams, it puts you in the top 10-20% of scorers. See our list of AP classes for more info on passing rates. Your 1-5 score is a scaled score, converted from a composite score. Your composite score is calculated from the total number of raw points you earned from your correct multiple-choice answers and your free response. It’s a bit confusing, but we will guide you through the process! The majority of AP exams consist of two sections: multiple choice and free response. On some exams each section is weighted equally, whereas on others one section is worth slightly more. You can look up the specifics for each exam on the official AP courses pages. The multiple-choice section is graded by a computer. There are no deductions for incorrect or blank answers, so your raw multiple-choice score is simply the number of questions you get correct. The free-response section is graded during the annual AP Reading held in the first two weeks of June. The AP Reading is basically a huge convention. Tons of teachers and college professors gather to grade thousands and thousands of student-written responses for each exam. This is why you don't get your AP scores until July even though you take the test in May: the written portion of your exam isn't graded until mid-June. After that, the College Board has to calculate the composite score and final scaled score for each exam, equating the test so the scores stay even from year to year. (For example, they want to make sure a 3 on the AP US History exam means the same thing from one year to another, even if one version of the test turned out to be more difficult for students.) (Side note: There is a good chance that an AP teacher at your school goes to the AP Reading each year. It can be interesting and helpful to talk to them about what happens at the convention, how quickly free responses are scored, and the best and worse free responses they’ve seen. These are answers that will vary a lot from subject to subject but could ultimately be helpful to you!) This is a picture from the English Literature Reading from this blog post over at AP Central. It's worth taking a look at if you are curious about what the AP Reading is like! Each free response is given a "holistic" score, meaning it's evaluated for its overall effectiveness or correctness. Typically, points aren’t deducted for the occasional small error, such as a spelling or grammar mistake. Most tests grade their free responses between 1 and 9, with 1 being least effective and 9 being nearly perfect. Your raw free-response score is the total of the scores you get for each response. After your multiple-choice section is graded by a machine and your free response is graded by a human, your essay and multiple-choice scores are combined to give you a composite score. This score is just a way of combining the two section scores so that they are weighted correctly. For example, for AP English, multiple choice is worth 45% and free response is worth 55%. Often, composite scores are between 0 and 100, or 0 and 150. The composite score is then converted to a number on the scaled score range 1-5. This means that for each scaled score, there is a range of possible composite scores that could earn it. For example, a 5 could be any composite score between 110 and 150 on one exam. Since scaling varies year to year, there are no exact cutoff numbers for scores for AP tests, and the College Board does not release detailed scoring data. Furthermore, you will not see what your composite score was on your AP score report—you'll only get the final number between 1 and 5. However, many teachers, prep books, and websites have come up with formulas to predict the scaled score for each AP test, which can help when you are grading your practice tests and trying to come up with a target score. As we've seen, AP test scoring is not exactly straightforward. To help clarify the process, we will walk through a scoring example using the most popular test, AP English Language and Composition. Also known as the class in which you annotate every. Single. Thing. Here are the basics of the AP English exam: it has 55 multiple-choice questions, worth 45% of your score, and three essays, worth 55% of your score. Each essay is graded between 1 and 9. Before we get into the scoring example, remember that this guide is an estimation since score conversions can vary year to year based on test difficulty. While it's impossible to precisely predict an AP test score before you get your score, you can still get an idea of how the process works. There are 55 multiple-choice questions on the AP English exam. Let's say you get 40 right, get eight wrong, and leave seven blank. Your raw multiple-choice score would be an even 40 points. Out of the three essays, let's say you earn the following scores from the graders: 4, 7, and 8. This gives youa total raw essay score of 19 (4+7+8). Now, this is the tricky part in which we will convert each of those raw scores to a single composite score between 0 and 150. The maximum converted essay score is 82.5, or 55% of 150. The maximum converted multiple-choice score is 67.5, or 45% of 150. To figure out your composite score, use this formula: (Multiple Choice Raw Score x 1.23) + (Essay Raw Score x 3.05) = Composite Score In this example, your multiple-choice composite score would be 49.2, and your essay composite score would be 57.95. Thus, your total composite score would be 107 (rounded down). The last step is easy. Use the chart below to estimate your final AP score (on a scale of 1-5): As you can see, your score of 107 would earn you a 5—but just barely! Again, these numbers are estimates and will shift from year to year based on test difficulty. Since 107 is just over the mark of 104, it's possible that in some years it could net you a 4 instead of a 5. We’ve learned how to score an AP English Language and Composition exam. However, you can’t use this exact same process for every AP test. Most AP tests have slightly different section weights and question totals, so the scoring formulas are different. For example, AP Calculus AB has fewer multiple choice questions (45), more free responses (six total), and weighs each section at 50%. Each AP subject is a unique challenge ... and has its own scoring formula. So how can you figure out how the AP tests you are taking are graded? First, if you’re taking the AP class for the test you want to take, ask your teacher if he or she has a formula for converting practice test scores to scaled scores. Most AP teachers have a formula they use with their students for practice exams. If you’re not taking the class or your teacher doesn’t have a formula, either find a prep book for your specific test or search online. Remember that all formulas are estimates. So if you really want a 5, you shouldn’t aim for the lowest possible composite—you should aim for perfection, or very close. That’s the only way to guarantee you'll get a 5 on test day. On the other hand, if you just want to make sure you pass, try to aim for a 4 so that even if you make more mistakes than you're hoping to, you’ll still get at least a 3! Curious about the benefits of taking an AP Exam? See our in-depth guide about what AP tests are and why you should take them. Also studying for the SAT? Get tips from our resident 1600 full scorer, and check out how to improve a low SAT Math score. Studying for the ACT instead? Get tips on the essay, read a guide to the daily ACT question, and learn how you can score a perfect 36.
The AP Scoring Scale
How Are AP Tests Scored?
How to Get a Scaled AP Score Between 1 and 5
Scoring Example: AP English Language and Composition
Step 1: Add Up Your Correct Answers to Get Your Raw Scores
Step 2: Convert Your Raw Scores to a Single Composite Score
Step 3: Use the Chart to Estimate Your Scaled Score
Composite Score (0-100 or 0-150) Scaled Score (1-5) 104-150 5 92-103 4 76-91 3 50-75 2 0-49 1 What About Scoring Other AP Tests?
What’s Next?
FAQs
How Are AP Exams Scored? ›
Each answer sheet is scanned and the total number of correct responses equals the multiple-choice score. The
Usually, a 70 to 75 percent out of 100 translates to a 5. However, there are some exams that are exceptions to this rule of thumb. The AP Grades that are reported to students, high schools, colleges, and universities in July are on AP's five-point scale: 5: Extremely well qualified.
What is a 60% on an AP exam? ›Yes, a 60 is considered a passing grade in AP classes. In AP, the average passing rate is 60-70%.
Is an 80 a 5 on the AP exam? ›As for percentages, these aren't usually released by the College Board. However, historical data sometimes shows that for many exams, you might need to correctly answer at least 70-80% of questions to land a 5, but again, it varies by subject.
How are AP FRQs graded? ›How are FRQs graded? The College Board administers a set of universal scoring criteria developed for each specific response/prompt by the student. Most free-response answers are scored on a scale between 1 and 10, with one being the least appropriate and ten being nearly perfect.
Is a 50% a 3 on the AP test? ›A 50% is considered a 3 or passing. This is when your AP credit is considered in colleges for being qualified, well qualified or extremely well qualified. Also, most exams have multiple parts to them.
What is a 40% on the AP exam? ›As a general guide, though, you can consider roughly more than 70% correct as being in the 5 range, 50-69% for a score of 4, 40-49% for a score of 3, 30-39% for a 2, and below 30% would likely be a 1.
Is an 80 in an AP class bad? ›If you scored an 80 in AP Psychics C, you could probably pat yourself on the back, as that can be considered quite the achievement. However, if you scored an 80 in AP Psychology or APUSH, you might want to consider studying harder or asking your teacher for more help.
Are AP tests curved? ›AP test scores are indeed "curved," but it's more accurate to call it a "scaling process." Instead of a traditional curve that compares your performance to other students' performance, the AP exam scaling process converts your raw score (the number of points you earned through multiple-choice questions and free- ...
How rare is a 5 on AP exam? ›As you can see, while at least 5% of test takers scored a 5 on each AP exam, the perfect scores are teeny, teeny, teeny percentages.
Can you get a 0 on an AP exam? ›
To clarify, it's quite rare and quite difficult to get a score of 0 on an AP exam. Typically, scores range from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest possible score that indicates the student likely wasn't prepared for the level of the content on the exam.
What is the hardest AP class? ›The hardest AP class is AP Physics 1, covering topics like Newtonian mechanics and electrical charge and force. Students also spend about 25% of their class time performing college-level lab experiments and writing reports.
What grade is failing for AP? ›But what is a passing AP score? The College Board considers a score of 3 or higher a passing grade. That said, some colleges require a 4 or 5 to award credit.
Can teachers see your AP FRQs? ›You, the college, university, or scholarship program you designated using your free score send, and educators in your school and district, including your AP teachers, will automatically receive your scores once they're released.
Do AP exams reuse FRQs? ›Review previous FRQs from AP Classroom prior to the test! The College Board likes to reuse questions and topics from FRQs in recent years, and previous FRQs can be extremely helpful in understanding what questions are asking.
What is a 3 on an AP exam equivalent to? ›AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to grades of B-, C+, and C in college.
What is a 70 in AP class? ›| Composite Score | Scaled Score |
|---|---|
| 92–103 | 4 |
| 76–91 | 3 |
| 50–75 | 2 |
| 0–49 | 1 |
What percent is a 5 on an AP Gov Exam? Students have to score an 80% or above to get a 5 on the exam.